


How to show a boy he’s special in three steps

by ghostwriting



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: First Kiss, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:40:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29632689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostwriting/pseuds/ghostwriting
Summary: Reki is special. This, Langa knows as much. And when he remembers the way that Reki had looked at him in the rain – as resolved as the issue may be now – he’d like to do what he can so that the fear Reki feels would always settle under his touch, each time he reaches out.Langa and Reki make it through the rain.(Something to soothe the pain from Episode 7. Still canon through Episode 9.)
Relationships: Hasegawa Langa/Kyan Reki
Comments: 38
Kudos: 455





	How to show a boy he’s special in three steps

**Author's Note:**

> A post-Episode 7 fic with a slightly longer runway for Langa and Reki to heal. I wrote this in a way that'd be canon for as long as possible, so we'll see how close we get to Episode 12!

Reki is scared. This, Langa understands as much when Reki tells him “You and Adam are nothing like me” and “I can’t keep up”.

What he’s actually scared of takes him a little longer to figure out, but Langa eventually learns that scars run deep and there are still demons yet to be unearthed.

There remain things that Reki hasn’t learnt about him too.

But isn’t that the wonderful thing about getting to know each other, together? With every step they take as a pair from the instant their paths collided, Langa has only ever been certain of the way Reki makes him feel, whether it’s bewilderment, wonder, admiration, or something that burns in a space where no one else can touch.

Reki is special. This, Langa knows as much. And when he remembers the way that Reki had looked at him in the rain – as resolved as the issue may be now – he’d like to do what he can so that the fear Reki feels would always settle under his touch, each time he reaches out.

**_1\. By turning back_ ** _  
  
If you’re scared, I’ll hold your hand._

When Langa starts to see the demons in Reki’s mind, he resolves to never leave him alone with them again. Just like when Reki had offered his hand to him when he’d first started skating, Langa decides that it’s important his hand is there whether or not Reki chooses to take it.

They may be different in some ways, but they are also similar in so many others, and their love for skateboarding ranks top in that.

Like him, Reki has never been afraid of falling. It’s part and parcel of skateboarding, and the aches and pains remain indicators of how much closer they get to something, no matter how far it might be.

Langa feels the ache in his chest when he gets closer to Reki just as his heart is torn in two that night, and he thinks that _ah_ , of course it’d feel a bit like skateboarding.

So maybe, Langa thinks, Reki’s scared of being left behind. He knows that feeling too, watching someone disappear from his sight. He still has much to learn about Reki’s past, but what he does know is the feeling of watching his father fade from his field of vision, down a snowy mountain where he can’t follow.

He also knows how his body had gone cold in a way that no jump or trick or beef had ever made him feel when Reki turned away from him. And for some reason, Langa’s mind keeps replaying that look of surprise when he returned for Reki at Miyakojima, and the smile that lit up his face when he had caught him by the waist and they’d both hurtled down the slope with the Paantu in tow.

Langa is scared of being left behind too.

They’ll continue to fall, multiple times, over and over again, but it’s okay because Langa thinks that they’ll be able to pick themselves up just like they always have, because he sees Reki right there, just out of reach, radiating the kind of heat and light that he never wants to see go out.

“Morning,” Langa raises a hand, watching as Reki rolls towards him.

He sees Reki smile, the sides of his eyes crinkling as he slaps his hand in a high-five, and for a moment, Langa fights the urge to hang on to that hand and pull him close, an arm warm around his waist as they roll down that slope together, in a shining memory of a moment when Reki had known that he hadn’t been left behind.

_Sorry to leave you behind._

**_2\. By using words_ ** _  
  
You’re a lot more amazing than I am._

Langa likes watching Reki work, his brows furrowing, lips pursed in concentration as deft fingers mould a skateboard into something that lives and breathes with a skater. The boards he personalises and sends out into the world feel like an extension of the body rather than a vehicle of movement to be conquered, and those amber eyes notices things he never does, flickering with inspiration as he turns an observation into an improvement that sends Langa skating faster, soaring higher, and flying further than ever before.

That’s why Reki is amazing, far more amazing than he is.

Langa knows talk is cheap (broken promises and all) and Reki never really believes his compliments. But he also knows words can mean a lot with the way they tend to keep Reki awake at night. So, Langa chooses to use his words differently, in ways that might get through to him.

It’s late and he should be going home, but it’s nice, watching Reki tinker with a new deck, his usual cheeky features soft with focus, and _this_ is where Reki shines. It’s where all that genius gathers in those grazed fingers and magic happens right in this room, time and time again.

Langa wonders if anyone else has had the fortune of watching Reki like this.

“You’re beautiful,” Langa says, his voice barely above a whisper, like he’s afraid to disturb the quiet.

He sees Reki blink, eyebrows going up as he registers what Langa is saying.

“Ah,” Reki says after a pause, turning to him as a wide smile blooms across his face. “You mean the deck?”

He puffs out his chest, laughing like he always does when he’s proud of his work.

“It’s not _just_ beautiful. When this is done, I’m going to add – ”

“No,” Langa says, tilting his head as he tries to catch his eye before Reki goes on about a host of different technical features he could never quite wrap his head around. Reki stops, lips slightly parted in an aborted sentence, waiting for him to continue.

“Not the deck,” Langa continues softly. “You.”

Reki sucks in a stuttering breath of air, and there’s a long pause as something hangs in the air, heavy between them.

“Pffft.”

Reki finally looks away and laughs, waving a hand in front of him, like he’s trying to fan away Langa’s words.

“I got it, I got it. I’ll have a look at your board too.”

Reki goes back to working on the new deck, and Langa settles back to watch him. That hadn’t been what he meant, but he notes that Reki is reacting a little differently from how he normally would’ve each time he receives a compliment. He doesn’t look upset, neither does he look like his ego is going through the roof. Instead, the tips of his ears flush pink – the colour clashing with his red hair – and his hand keeps slipping as he works on the board.

“You know what,” Reki says abruptly after a few failed attempts at getting the screwdriver into a screw, “I think you should head home now.”

Langa blinks at him and Reki clears his throat, getting to his feet.

“It’s pretty late.”

“I can stay a little longer…” Langa tries to tell him as Reki grabs his school bag and starts guiding him towards the door.

“We have school tomorrow,” Reki says, trying to pry Langa’s hands from where he’s hanging on to the doorframe.

“Yes, but – ”

Langa jumps back when Reki threatens to smack his fingers with the screwdriver, and Reki tosses the bag and skateboard into his hands.

“I’ll look at your board another day, Langa,” he says brightly. “Good night!”

Langa stares at the door that’s unceremoniously shut in his face for a few seconds before he starts to snort.

Langa hears what people say about him – what they think about Snow. But for as long as he can remember, he’s only ever wanted to know what Reki thinks about him, and it remains true, even now. Whether it’s about his skating or him as a person, he wants to know it all.

_Is this good?_

**_3\. By taking his breath away_ **  
  
_What is your happiness?_

“Reki.”

“Hmm?” Reki hums, eyes glued to his phone. They’ve been hiding out in Reki’s room, watching video compilations of Langa skating, but Langa has stopped paying attention fifteen minutes ago.

He’s been looking at Reki instead, watching the way his expressions change, from the way his eyes light up with awe, to the way he exhales when he’s impressed.

It’s nice that Reki thinks this much of him, but he also recalls how not so long ago, this was what drove a terrifying wedge between them, and his only view of Reki had been his back, receding into the darkness.

In those moments where Reki is smiling, joking and laughing is when Langa remembers how quickly they had disappeared when those scars reared their ugly head, and that’s when he wants to know just how his touch can settle him, regardless of where that fear stems from.

“ _Reki_.”

“I’m listening,” he says, because he genuinely is, though he still isn’t quite looking at him. So, Langa leans a little closer, turns his head, and tells him: “You’re special.”

The phone slips a little in Reki’s hand, and he finally looks at him.

“Where…” Reki swallows, blinking at him. “Where did that come from?”

“From… me?” Langa hazards a guess, not quite sure if that’s the right answer.

“No, I meant – ” Reki laughs awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.”

“But it does.”

Reki shrugs, turning back to his phone. “Whether you’re talking about the decks I make or the – ”

“No, Reki,” Langa says, grabbing his wrist, unintentionally jerking the phone away. “You can’t just – ”

This position feels familiar – so familiar that it hurts. But this time, Reki doesn’t yank his hand back. In fact, there’s barely any resistance. Reki is looking at him, confused, but he’s not upset. He’s listening.

Langa takes a few steadying breaths. He’s not sure what he should say. He’s tried words before, but they hadn’t worked. And then Langa’s gaze falls to Reki’s hand, and suddenly, he knows exactly what to do.

Lowering Reki’s wrist, he brings his hand close to his face, and before Langa can think too much about what he’s doing, he presses his lips to Reki’s fingers.

Reki’s eyes go wide, eyebrows shooting straight up, and Langa watches as Reki’s shoulders rise, almost curling in on himself in surprise.

When Langa leans in, he hears Reki suck in a breath – a loud one – as he presses himself against the wall behind them, the tips of his ears turning bright red.

“These hands,” he says, gently running a thumb over Reki’s fingers, “these eyes,” he adds, pressing a kiss to Reki’s eyelids, “and this brilliant mind…” he whispers, running a hand over where the headband sits on his forehead, “… are all so special.”

Langa draws back, watching as Reki’s chest rises and falls with each shaky breath he takes. He isn’t pushing him away – in fact, he’s clutching his hand now, tightly – and his gaze travels over Langa’s features, trying to read his eyes.

His pulse is racing. Langa can feel the familiar throb in his chest as he stares into Reki’s eyes, catching his reflection in them.

Adrenaline.

It’s just like skateboarding.

And there he is – Reki – no longer out of reach, close enough to touch.

Langa feels his face grow hot, so he lifts a hand to tug Reki’s headband down over his eyes. He can’t do it if Reki is staring at him like that.

“What are you – ”

He leans forward, and Reki suddenly stops talking, the heat from his body and the breath on his cheek a clear indication of their proximity even if he can’t see him.

When he touches their lips together, he hears Reki exhale softly, and his lips tremble slightly but they part for him, so Langa tilts his head as he slots their lips closer together.

Langa has never kissed anyone before, a little like how he’d never gone skateboarding until months ago. But now he has, and just like with skateboarding, he doesn’t think he can ever stop, especially when Reki is this close to him.

He doesn’t know if this is Reki’s first kiss either, but the way he moves his lips and tongue along the curves of his mouth – like he’s fearlessly chasing and learning something new – is wonderfully pleasant, insistent and warm, and Langa hears the soft noise he makes in the back of his throat, a lovely appreciative sound that makes him feel both hot and breathless at the same time.

And then, it’s there, the wetness against his cheek, and Langa knows Reki is crying. Never quite drawing back from Reki’s lips, Langa carefully lifts Reki’s headband from his eyes, brushing away the stray tears with his thumb as he kisses him, reminding him that he’s here, _I’m here_.

When the tears finally stop and they are sharing the same breath, Langa lets himself draw back, just slightly. Reki opens his eyes then, glancing up at Langa with wet eyelashes and slightly puffy eyes. He looks a little lost, eyes glazed over, mind hazy from the kiss, so Langa raises a hand to touch his cheek, and Reki closes his eyes again, instantly leaning into his touch.

It’s only for a second before Reki starts to look embarrassed, but Langa feels a sudden rush of relief. Somehow he knows, without a doubt, that from this point on, the pain, the fear, the demons and scars that Reki carries with him – relentless as they may be – they will begin to settle just that little bit more, each time under his touch.

_That moment, I know I saw it._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! My descent into Langa/Reki hell was quick and very painful :')
> 
> ([my twitter](https://twitter.com/ghostwritingari))


End file.
